Have you ever noticed how big the chestnut tree is at the Cherrydale Branch Library?

Neighbors tell us that this tree is the offspring of another chestnut tree that lived on the land where the 7-11 currently stands on Lee Highway. We also know that the nearby Gulf Branch nature center houses a working forge, and after reading Longfellow’s poem The Village Blacksmith we wonder, could there ever have been a working blacksmith here?

We want to learn more about the tree’s history. If you have any stories about the tree, please tell them to us (you can use the comment section below)!

Photo of courtesy of neighborhood resident Greg Embree.